JXHQ: Do Your Friends Call You Harley?
by thechokesonyou
Summary: Set during the events of Arkham City. Harley Quinn can't stop thinking about what will happen when the Joker finally succumbs to his illness. (Very fluffy, romantic and emotional.)


**_Before we begin, I have a few short author s notes! First off, I should warn all of you that this fic is very fluffy, and to those of you that feel as passionately about the Joker as I do, very emotional. As pathetic as it sounds, I did tear up writing this one, only because it is based off of Arkham City, while the Joker is sick. Every time I play that game, I end up crying. Anyway, enough about my emotional issues, in this fic, I really wanted to capture two things; the first being that Harley takes the Joker's death far worse than he does. The Joker doesn't fear death, instead he embraces it, calls to it and though, sure, he wants to live to continue playing with the Bat and causing chaos, he doesn't mind. The second is that in reality, while the Joker doesn't necessarily feel love, he does show genuine affection for Harley. She's the only person capable of being by his side, the only one who could last. He doesn't have to call her pooh or baby, or my dear, but he does. Why? Because he obviously does feel some sort of romantic pull, a form of love, and though a lot of people don't understand it, and think that he is abusive... Well, I think that anyone whose reading this story will already agree that it isn't true. They understand it and so do we, and that's really all that matters, isn't it?_**

"_Well… I'm Harleen. Harleen Quinzel."_

"_What a pretty name. Do your friends call you Harley?"_

_A blush, eyes glancing downwards. "Oh, I don't really have any friends…"_

"_Well, Harley." A cold stare, a wicked grin. "You've got one now." _

Harley woke up with a gasp, sitting straight up in bed. Her eyes shot open as she panted, staring out the window to the snowy river of Gotham. That damn dream again — no, not a dream, but a memory. She'd been having it every night recently. Every night since she found out he was sick. On cue, on the other side of the bed, a sleeping Joker coughed loudly. She looked over at her man fondly but frowned. _So beautiful, so perfect. My Joker. _How much longer would he be hers, though? He was a ticking time bomb, a grenade, and when he blew up she hoped she would go down with him. She wouldn't be able to survive even a day without her precious Mistah J by her side, holding her hand, guiding her. Harley couldn't continue his legacy alone. She didn't even want to. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be him. Harley felt a cold chill run up her spine and she shivered, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. No, it wasn't even an option. When J died, she would die too. She was a part of him after all, growing around him, intertwining herself with him to the point where if he got hurt, she hurt for him, if he was sad, she cried with him and she made sure that he never, _ever_ laughed alone.

Even though she knew it was a bad idea, she rolled over to spoon herself around him and gently shook his shoulder. He grunted slightly in his sleep, turning away from her even more and she frowned, pouting. "Puddin?" She asked sweetly. "Mistah J, are you up?"

He groaned. "What do you want, Harley?" He snapped, burying his face into his pillow. She bit her lip and sat up straighter to lean over his body and see his face.

"I had the dream again, Mistah J," She whispered, tears welling up in her big blue eyes. He was still for a moment before finally he sighed loudly and rolled onto his back, looking up at her with those dark eyes and frowning lips. "I just… I just couldn't sleep, and I missed you…" A stray tear rolled down her cheek and he sighed again, wiping it off with the pad of his thumb.

"Harley," He murmured. "I'm right here, my dear," He said and then cracked a smile at the rhyme. She sniffled and tucked herself down onto his stomach, resting her head on his abdomen. He sat up against the headboard and pulled her in so that she was cushioning her head on his chest. She put her legs over his so he could hold her better and let herself be rocked in his arms. "I don't know why that dream makes you so upset, Harleykins, wasn't that a _good _day? I mean, it was the day you met me, after all," He said, stroking her hair behind her ear from where it had fallen out of her pigtails in the night. She sniffled again and looked up at him sadly.

"It just reminds me that… You won't be here much longer," She breathed hoarsely.

"Oh, pish posh," He said, waving a hand dismissively. "I think we both know nothing _ever _stops the Joker. Remember how many times I've been shot? Nothing will take me away, baby," He coddled her sweetly, enjoying her sadness at his sickness. The truth was, the Joker knew he didn't have very much time left, and he knew that Harley knew it too, but he loved seeing the way her heart broke when she thought about it. She loved him so much it killed her inside and made him feel a swooping rush of pride. Yes, she loved him. She loved him more than anything. His little girl, his Harley. She adjusted her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I just… I just love you so much, puddin," She said, throwing her arms around his midriff.

"I know, sweetheart, I know," He purred. "Come here. Give Daddy a kiss, why don't you?" He asked, smiling down at her. She quirked a small, sad smile at him but was unable to resist the invitation and jumped up and onto his lap, her hands on his neck. She kissed him without hesitation, letting her lips touch his gently. He rolled his eyes at how timid she had been recently, afraid to hardly breathe around him for fear of making his condition worsen. He grabbed a hold of her hips and pulled her into him, deepening the kiss, just to show her that he wasn't as pathetically weak as she may have thought. She gasped against his mouth and then threw her arms with delight around his neck. Suffocating from the kiss, he pulled away and smiled at her, stroking her cheek. "That's my girl. Now, do you think you can sleep now, pumpkin pie?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. "_Well. _I think I know a way to wear you out." Her eyes widened and suddenly she was on her back, her shirt pushed up her stomach and his perfect, smiling mouth was blowing a loud raspberry into her abdomen. She cracked up into a fit of giggles, laughing wildly as she tried to push him off, kicking and pawing at him.

"No! Mistah J, it tickles!" She cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks from the laughter. "Hehe, stop it!"

"There's the smile I love," He murmured when he finally released her, straddling her and grinning down at her.

"I love you, Daddy," She said, cocking her head to the side and smiling up at him, eyes tracing the features of his white skin, deep, dark purple eyes, those red lips and she sighed.

Tapping her nose, he smiled and layed back down, pulling his little girl into the curve of his chest and wrapping an arm around her slender waist. As they cuddled back down into bed, he breathed into her ear, "I love you, little harlequin."

And she knew peace.


End file.
